Uncovered railcars, particularly uncovered railcars transporting coal, present environmental and rail maintenance challenges. Communities with near-rail residential, agricultural, educational, or professional centers often have concerns about the health and environmental impact of coal dust. Additionally, companies operating railways face maintenance problems and rail bed damage caused by coal dust.
Existing covers include fiberglass models that are heavy and may prove cumbersome to use during loading and unloading. Other methods to control coal dust include the application of a dusting agent to loaded coal and grooming loaded coal. However, neither method may realize the containment targets set or desired by operating companies and near-rail communities.